It's A Human Thing
by esompthin
Summary: Gabe teaches Cas about human customs that he didn't know about. Like, holding hands is a sign of trust; go grab Dean's hand. Destiel. Lil bit of Sabriel.


Gabe is really helpful.

No, really. Cas thought that he would be a nuisance, but he was actually pretty great to have around. He told Cas about human customs, ones that Sam and Dean had forgotten to tell him. Like how holding hands is a common practice to show trust.

Dean was a little surprised when Cas first held his hand.

Cas figured Dean just didn't think he deserved that trust.

Cas squeezed Dean's hand and smiled at him fondly. It's okay. Some people just need a little reassurance every now and then.

Sam was watching wide-eyed across the room and Gabe looked like he was trying not to laugh. Cas thought he did it wrong.

He looked down at their hands, clasped together. Maybe he was supposed to…? Ah, yes. He turned his hand and slid his fingers in between Dean's. This looked much more trusting.

Dean got very still when Cas's thumb brushed against Dean's knuckle. Cas looked back up at the hunter and found that his face was very red.

Oh…

Is Dean angry?

Had Cas done it wrong again?

Cas looked to Gabe for help, but the former trickster was biting his fist to keep from laughing. Sam's lips were quirked in an amused smile; he didn't look like he'd be helping any time soon.

Dean cleared his throat awkwardly and slowly untangled their fingers. Cas caught one, holding onto it. Hopefully Dean can still get the message of trust with just one finger. Dean shuffled slightly away from the angel. "Cas." He said gruffly. "What are you doing?"

"Gabriel said-" Cas didn't get to finish his sentence, because Dean's head whipped around to find the other angel in the room.

"Gabe!" Dean sounded angry.

Gabe's smile was wide and wicked as he laughed, "That's my cue." He snapped his fingers and disappeared.

Dean glared at Sam, who turned to his laptop and pretended he wasn't there. A smile was still on Sam's face as he read about a possible hunt in New Mexico.

Dean looked down at his finger, still in Cas's hold. Cas smiled at him and Dean ducked his head, apparently deciding Cas's trust was genuine.

Dean let Cas hold his hand whenever Cas wanted after that.

They just have a lot of trust in each other.

Gabe also told Cas about sharing food was common among close friends.

He told Cas this when the four of them were in a small breakfast diner. Sam had went to the restroom and Dean was parking the Impala.

The waitress had just lead them to their seats when Gabe leaned across the table and told Cas this fact.

"Really?" Cas looked doubtful. "I have never seen Sam and Dean share food."

Gabe waved his hand in dismissal, "They're brothers. It's different for them. It only works with friends."

Cas tilted his head, "What does sharing food do?"

"Promises long-lasting friendship." Gabe replied easily. "Trust me." He patted Cas's hand, that rested on the table. Cas smiled as he recognized the gesture of trust. "I'll do it with Sammy-boy."

Cas nodded, allowing his brother to take the lead.

Sam came back first and sat next to Gabe, they had to sit a little close because the booth was kinda small and Sam is a mountain. Gabe happily snuggled next to the hunter. Sam hardly noticed, looking at his menu.

Dean sat down next to Cas then. As soon as the hunter was situated, Cas's hand found Dean's under the table.

Dean stiffened slightly at Cas's touch. He looked up at his brother and the archangel, but neither were paying attention to them. Slowly, he relaxed against the booth. Cas practically beamed when Dean's thumb brushed against the back of Cas's hand.

The waitress returned and took their orders. Dean made fun of Sam for getting a fruit salad, while he ordered something covered with bacon and sausages. Gabe got chocolate chip pancakes with whip cream and "Do you have any chocolate sauce?"

"Sorry, just maple." The waitress said with an amused smile.

Gabe hid his pout behind a charming smile, "That's alright. Maple, then."

"And for you?" The waitress turned to Cas.

The angel panicked slightly, he wasn't expecting to be spoken to. He didn't pick anything out. Cas squeezed Dean's hand as he started to say 'I don't require to eat.'

But he didn't get further than 'I' when Dean interrupted, "He'll have classic buttermilk pancakes, eggs on the side, scrambled."

Cas watched as the waitress took the menus and walked off. He turned to Dean and said quietly, concerned, "Dean, I do not need to eat."

Dean turned his head to face Cas, and suddenly found them much closer than before. He could feel a blush crawling up his neck. He looked away from Cas's earnest eyes. "Neither does Gabe, and look at him."

The archangel in question was currently opening packets of sugar and pouring them into his mouth. Sam watched; his expression a mixture of disgust and enjoyment.

Cas bit his lip, unsure of what to do. Dean had to tear his eyes away from Cas's lower lip as Sam stole everyone's attention, "So get this." He started talking about a possible case in an abandoned amusement park in Florida. "Construction workers were trying to tear down this old coaster. Everything was going fine, until they had to take down the tunnel part of the ride. Two people have died already and a third is in the hospital, critical condition."

Dean was grateful for the distraction, "So, what? Vengeful spirit?"

"I don't think so. The coaster goes through some forested areas, it could be something living in there and its just protecting its home." Sam shrugged.

The waitress returned then, carefully placing the plates of food down. Dean gave her a polite smile and then turned back to Sam. "Awesome. We'll look into it."

There was a slight lull in the conversation as everyone, except Cas, dug into their breakfast. Gabe glanced around before summoning a bottle of chocolate syrup.

"Really?" Sam asked, frowning at the child-like sugar addict.

"Shh." Gabe said, practically whispering as he poured an abundance of syrup on his pancakes. "Let it happen." He topped it off with putting maple syrup on top of the chocolate syrup. Chocolate chips slowly floated down the rivers of sugar and pooled at the bottom of the pancakes. Gabe cut a large piece of pancake out and happily shoved it in his mouth. He let out a moan that should be saved for Casa Erotica.

He turned to Sam excitedly, "Sammy-boy, you gotta try this."

Cas sat up straighter, watching Gabriel enforce the human custom of sharing food.

Sam frowned, "Uh, no. I'll get diabetes from one bite of that."

Gabe didn't seem deterred. He got another bite, smaller this time, on his fork and held it up to Sam's face. 'Take it from an angel; this is Heaven on Earth."

Sam rolled his eyes, but he leaned in and took the bite of pancake from Gabe's fork. He closed his eyes as the sweetness invaded his mouth. Sam sat up and nodded, "Yeah." He said between chews, "Okay. That's pretty good."

Gabriel smiled in triumph. "Told you!" He prepared another bite, "Want more?"

Dean fake gagged as he watched the archangel and his brother shamelessly flirted. It was gross, he's trying to eat his hash browns. He glanced over at the better angel of the two, and found that he hadn't touched his food yet. Cas was too busy curiously watching the gross PDA across the table.

"Cas, man, you're not even gonna try it?" Dean asked. Cas jumped, almost like he forgot Dean was there.

He looked sheepishly at the hunter, "I…" He didn't want to tell Dean that everything just tastes like molecules; that he's tried eating before, to see why Gabe likes it so much, but everything tastes the same.

Dean didn't seem to want to hear Cas's excuse, he scooped up some eggs on his fork and said, "Here, the eggs here are really good."

Cas's eyes widened, he wasn't expecting Dean to initiate the sharing food among friends tradition. Cas glanced at Gabe, who was solely focused on stealing strawberries from Sam, and moved forward, copying the younger Winchester took food off of Gabe's fork earlier.

Cas closed his eyes and moaned a little, because that's what Sam did, and when he pulled away and chewed thoughtfully, he couldn't help but smile at the fact that _Dean_ shared food with _him_. Dean was promising the friendship. He smiled at Dean, whose face was turning a little pink.

"S-see?" Dean muttered, stabbing a sausage with his fork, "It's good."

Cas ate more and occasionally fed Dean a piece of his pancake throughout breakfast.

The waitress smiled knowingly at them, which made Dean's face burn even more. Cas happily clasped their hands together as they walked to the Impala. Because part of friendship is trust, right?

Dean ignored the way Gabe snickered.

Gabe also informed Cas about how giving shoulder massages is a sign of loyalty.

"Especially after a fight, when you know he's hurting." Gabe nodded enthusiastically. "If he's sitting on the couch, just have your hand on his shoulders and start massaging them. He'll love it."

"And this is a sign of loyalty?" Cas asked, confused.

Gabe smiled tightly, "Totally. If your concerned about his well-being, like how sore his shoulders are, you aren't thinking about betraying him."

Cas looked appalled, "I would never betray Dean."

"Yeah, sure." Gabe agreed, not wanting to start a fight in a shitty motel room. The Winchesters were out, getting food, and they left the angels in the motel alone. Gabe saw it as the perfect opportunity to teach Cas more human customs. "Just trust me, it's a human thing. He'll really appreciate it."

"Why are you doing this?" Cas asked suddenly. Not harshly, just curious and maybe a little suspicious.

' _Because Embarrassed Dean-o is my favorite Dean-o.'_ Gabe thought. He put his arm around Cas's shoulders and said, feigning hurt, "I'm your _brother_. I just want to make sure you learn all about humans as possible."

Cas nodded, satisfied with the answer. "Thank you."

Gabe smiled and jumped on Sam's bed, "No problam-o, little bro."

The Winchesters chose that moment to walk it. Gabe sat up excitedly, "Did you get the cake?"

"We got pie!" Dean said, almost aggressively.

Gabe frowned and snapped his fingers. The apple pie in Dean's hand morphed into chocolate cake. The two glared at each other for a long moment before Sam snapped them out of it. "Dean, did you order the double cheese burger?"

"Yeah."

Cas watched as everyone got situated, Sam sat on the edge of his bed and ate a salad, while Gabe poked him, trying to get his attention.

Cas sat down on the couch, next to Dean. He smiled when Dean held out a fry for him. Sharing food, much like holding hands, has become a common activity for them. Cas is very proud of his knowledge of human customs.

Speaking of which…

Dean ducks his head a bit to take a bite of his burger. As he does, Cas's hand rests on Dean's far shoulder, his arm drapes across Dean's back. Dean stiffens under him, and Cas starts to massage his shoulder with one hand, hoping he's doing it right.

Dean leans back slightly, his spine straight, but he refuses to look at Cas. The angel can see his ears are turning bright red. Cas pauses when Dean makes a small whining noise.

"Does that hurt?" Cas asks quietly. They just finished hunting a nest of vamps and Dean got thrown against a wall in the battle. Cas wouldn't be surprised to find out Dean was in pain. The hunter doesn't reply, he's staring at his burger, refusing to look at anyone in the room.

Sam and Gabe are smiling, occasionally glancing at each other, while they watch.

Cas relaxes his hand and lets some of his grace flow through the digits and into Dean's sore muscles, helpfully healing the hunter while he massages him. Dean makes a small squeak, but hides the noise with a face-full of burger.

The angel found a particularly sensitive spot, and Dean leaned back into his touch, letting out a little gasp.

Cas hesitated, did he hurt Dean?

The hunter's face was bright red, matching the blood stains on the weapons they hadn't cleaned yet. Dean dropped his burger on the coffee table in front of him and muttered a barely audible, "Excuse me." as he retreated to the bathroom.

Once the door closed with more force than necessary; Cas looked up at his brother, "Did I do it wrong?"

Gabe didn't laugh.

At all.

For about two seconds.

The last lesson Gabe had for Cas actually came from Sam.

They were in a library, Gabe was slouched in a chair, resting his head on his arms, completely bored out of his mind. Sam was sitting next to him, being a freakin' nerd. Books were scattered around their table, opened at random pages. Sam was jotting down notes and translating ancient spells and _Dad Gabe was bored._

Dean abandoned them long ago, and Cas followed him like a puppy. Gabe scanned the library a few times and eventually found the two of them sitting on the ground at the comic book section. Dean was explaining something to Cas, Gabe guessed it was about the Spider-Man comic he was holding. Castiel was listening intently, as if Peter Parker was the difference between life and death.

Cas asked something and Gabe frowned as he watched. Maybe it was just his imagination; after all, it is a pretty active imagination. But he could have sworn…

He sat up straight as Cas asked something again. Yes! He was right!

"Hey, Samsquatch!" Gabe whispered loudly.

"Shh." Sam didn't even look up.

Gabe's eyes were glued to the pair sitting way too close to be platonic. "It's important!"

"Not now, Gabe." Sam turned the page of his Latin-to-English dictionary.

"It's about Dean-o." Gabe said finally.

Sam looked up at him, reluctant and annoyed. "What?"

Gabe gestured to the two, Dean was pointing to something on the page and Cas was nodding slightly. "Wait until Cas says something."

Sam sighed but sat back and watched.

Cas said something with a hesitant smile, and Gabe hit Sam's arm, pointing wildly at Dean. "Did you see?"

"What? They're talking! People talk, Gabe!"

The archangel rolled his eyes, "No, Dean's eyes! Did you see where he was looking?"

Recognition ran across Sam's face. But instead of grinning like Gabe did, he ducked his head and continued to read.

Gabe carried on, because maybe Sam didn't see it, "Dean was totally checking out Cassie's lips! The entire time they've been talking, he's been looking at them!"

Sam didn't look up, he just kept flipping the same page back and forth.

Gabe growled quietly, "Sammy! He wants to kiss Cas!"

"Dean's Hard of Hearing." Sam hissed finally, glaring at Gabe.

Gabriel froze. "…What?"

Sam sighed and sat back in his chair. He drummed his fingers against the table and watched his brother from afar. "He's reading Cas's lips. It's quiet, we're in a library, Cas can't talk at normal volume. Dean probably can't hear Cas at all right now." Sam turned to make eye contact with Gabe, repeating seriously, "He's reading Cas's lips."

Gabe glanced from him to Dean and back again. He didn't know what to say. He had no idea Dean couldn't hear. Although, now that he thought about it, Dean-o had stared at Gabe's lips before while they were talking. Sam's too. Actually, victims, waitresses, and the occasional monster. Dean watches everyone's mouth. _Oh._

Gabe tried to make a joke, "What? Was the rock n' roll too much for him?"

Sam sighed, "Try gunshots." Gabe nodded, his eyes widening, as Sam continued, "Dad didn't really care about something like hearing. He just wanted us to be able to shoot and shoot straight. He wouldn't take time to do something to protect Dean's hearing when there's a monster that needs to be killed."

Gabe watched Dean as he read Cas's lips. It took a second for him to reply this time, apparently thinking it over. Gabe shook his head, angry at John Winchester's A+ parenting skills. He looked up at Sam, "Are you…?"

"Not nearly as bad as Dean. I don't have perfect hearing, but I don't need to read lips." Sam paused, glancing at Gabe's lips. Hesitantly, he added, "I'm not considered Hard of Hearing, but… Dean is."

Gabriel knew that humans could become deaf or slowly loose their ability to hear. He never experienced anything like that. Angels are massive wavelengths of grace; celestial beings with no ears. Deafness was just another human thing that Gabe wouldn't ever know about completely. He tilted his head and squinted a bit, thinking about all the humans he'd seen in his life, "Aren't there…" He pointed to his ears, "Headphones?"

Sam's lip quirked up slightly, "Hearing aids?" Gabe nodded. "Those are waaay to expensive. Some are 4,000 dollars. Some are even more." He looked back to his brother, "Lip-reading is cheaper."

Dean chuckled at something Cas said. Gabe can't help but wonder how many times Dean had read their conversations, rather than heard them.

Gabe was determined to make his brother and the hunter happy. Cas is a little bumblebee that is satisfied just flying around his flower and holding hands with it and sharing food with it.

But Dean's a Venus Flytrap. He can't just be okay with the constant (unintentional) flirting from his little bee. He needs to catch it and hold it close and hopefully not kill it and, yeah, this isn't the best metaphor.

But no worries. Gabe is practically a cupid. He was a trickster, Pagan god, archangel, and one time he was a mummy on display at a museum. Why not add cupid to the mix? His brothers and sisters would be proud.

That was Gabe's thought process as he pulled Cas aside one day.

"Last lesson." Gabe said seriously as Cas ruffled his feathers for being forcibly stopped before he could go into the motel room. "Humans tend to stare at what they want. You know, longingly."

Cas frowned, unsure of what his brother was saying. Gabe just plowed through, quickly saying, "Like, if someone wants to hold your hand, they might stare at your hand. If someone wants the last piece of pizza, they might watch it for a while, while they contemplate if their fat ass deserves it." He slowed down considerably as he said the last part, to emphasize it. "And if someone wants to kiss you, they'll…"

He stared at Cas.

Cas stared back.

Gabe made a 'come on' motion with his hand.

Cas stared some more.

"They'll…" Gabe prompted.

Cas realized that Gabe wanted _him_ to finish the sentence. "Oh! They'll stare at your lips."

"There you go." Gabe sighed and patted Cas's shoulder.

Cas nodded, "This is interesting information. But I do not see how it is useful to me."

Gabe closed his eyes for a long time, internally screaming. He let out a small sigh through his nose, "Dean." He said finally.

Cas frowned. "Does Dean not know this information? Do you wish me to tell him?" He looked excited at the idea of teaching Dean something about humanity; showing off to him.

Gabe contemplated calling Death for help. That old bastard could probably be of some use. "No. Cas." He said slowly, maintaining eye contact with his little brother, "If Dean stares at your lips, that means…"

"He wants to kiss me?" Cas squinted at Gabe, tilting his head slightly, "Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes." Gabe nodded. He's pretty sure Dean wants to kiss Cas anyway. So it's not a big lie. "Definitely. So when you're talking to him, and he looks at your lips, just go ahead and kiss him. It's basically an invitation."

"Really?"

"Yeah, humans do it all the time." Gabe waved his hand flippantly, "You want to kiss him, don't you?"

Cas bit his lip, "I haven't really thought about it. I assumed my relationship with Dean was one of pure friendship."

Gabe snorted, "And pure eye-fucking."  
Gabe watched as the wheels in Cas's head turned. Slowly he nodded and small smile on his face, "Yes. I believe I would like that very much."

"Hallelujah." Gabe muttered.

A flash of concern crossed Cas's face, "Are you sure Dean will be okay with it?"

"Yeah, of course. It's a human thing." Gabe said as he walked into the motel room, leaving Cas on the side walk alone.

It wasn't until after they had some fast food dinner. Gabe convinced Sam that the local library had a great selection of ancient biblical works that talk about supernatural beings. He had to conjure up said ancient works while Sam drove there, but hey, whatever gets the moose out of their hair, right?

Really, Gabe just didn't want Sam to know he's using Dean's disability against him. It's not hurting anyone, so it's no big deal. Unless Sam makes it one.

The archangel made sure there were some really nerdy books there for Sammy.

Gabe was laid across the couch haphazardly, watching TV upside-down while trying to throw popcorn into his mouth. He wasn't very successful.

Dean and Cas were on the other side of the room, thoroughly ignoring him. Dean was fiddling with his guns, cleaning them, taking them apart and putting them back together. Cas watched, simply enjoying the way Dean's hands worked mindlessly.

They were talking while Dean worked. "I'm just saying, you need to watch Star Wars. Everyone has seen Star Wars."

"How could incandescent bodies of gas in space fight?" Cas asked, "What conflict could they have?"

Dean snorted, a noise of joy and amusement. He smiles a lot more around Cas, Gabe noticed. "The stars aren't fighting."

Cas opened his mouth to ask, 'then who is?', but he paused. He noticed as his lips moved, Dean's eyes darted down to watch them. He bit his lip, wondering if this was what Gabe meant by 'staring longingly'. Dean didn't look all that longing to Cas. He looked a little uncomfortable.

The hunter was squirming on the bed, his tongue slid out to lick his own lips. Cas watched as Dean's eyes flickered from Cas's lips up to his eyes and- oh, were they always that green?

Gabe sat up, unnoticed by the two, and pulled out his phone. Of course he's going to record this to show Sammy. And maybe other cupids. He got these two together without the use of a bow. There's a reason he's God's favorite, and it's not because His first two choices are in the cage!

Cas leaned forward slowly, his hand automatically found Dean's. Their fingers laced together easily; Cas could feel Dean's pulse in his fingers. For a moment, the angel worried about the hunter's safety. Are hearts supposed to beat that hard?

However, he was quickly distracted by the way Dean sucked in a sharp breath when Cas's other hand rested gently against Dean's cheek.

"Cas?" Dean asked, so quiet Cas almost didn't hear him.

"Yes, Dean?" Cas replied calmly. His thumb rubbed Dean's cheek, enjoying the way Dean's skin prickled with a five-o'clock shadow.

"W-what, what are you…?"

Cas froze, oh Dad. He did something wrong. Gabe lied to him. Dean didn't mean _that_ when he looked at Cas's lips. It was a mistake.

The angel began to move away, his hand falling from Dean's face. Cas looked down and away from the hunter's expression.

Dean's eyes widened, he grabbed Cas's chin with one hand and pulled them together until their lips fell against each other's. Dean's hand slid around Cas's head to hold his neck, and keep the angel in place. Cas's free hand held Dean's hip, keeping Cas balanced.

Gabe fist-pumped the air and zoomed in on the video.

Dean smiled into the kiss as Cas let out a small moan. When the two pulled away, Dean was blushing like a virgin and Cas's hair was even more messed up than before. Dean chuckled quietly and mumbled a small, "Awesome."

Cas found he really liked this human custom. He also found that Dean likes it as well, considering how much he stares at Cas's lips.

During conversation, whenever Cas finds Dean watching his lips, the angel presses a quick kiss to the hunter's mouth. Dean's face always lights up at the unexpected action.

Sam didn't know if he should reward or punish Gabe when he found out.

So, all in all, Gabe really _is_ helpful.

* * *

Tell me what you think!


End file.
